In January 1944, a corps of American and British troops landed on the Italian coast between the towns of Anzio and Nettuno. The assault was designed to end a stalemate in the mountains of Italy further south and open the road to Rome for the Allied armies. The landings were a bit of a gamble, requiring fast movement from the beachhead to keep German forces from gaining the high ground nearby and trapping the American troops in the marshy land near the beaches. In command of the operation, and ultimately responsible for the outcome of the battle, was Major General John P. Lucas.
General Lucas was a veteran of the First World War and already had commanded his corps in combat for several months. Yet when chosen to command the Anzio landings, Lucas harbored doubts about the ability of his forces to prevail. Furthermore, and perhaps most debilitating, General Lucas had another handicap for a general: he hesitated to risk his men for the mission. He told his diary during the fighting before Anzio, "I think too often of my men out in the mountains. I am far too tender-hearted ever to be a success at my chosen profession." As he prepared for the invasion, he added, "I must keep from thinking of the fact that my order will send these men into a desperate attack." When his troops landed at Anzio, Lucas spent too much time consolidating the beachhead to protect his men from counterattacks...giving the Germans time to recover from the shock of the invasion and fortify the high ground overlooking the landing beaches. Lucas' corps would languish in the beachhead for months taking casualties, and Lucas himself would be relieved of combat command.
As journalist and historian Rick Atkinson notes, "Empathy might ennoble a man, but it could debilitate a general." Lucas had a mission to accomplish: land at Anzio, take the high ground, and open the road to Rome. Instead, in a spirit of caution and with the lives of his men on his mind, Lucas failed to lead his men forward. What resulted was a bloody stalemate; men died each day with nothing to show for their sacrifice. Lucas' empathy cost many of his troops their lives, and failed to accomplish his mission. Historian John Keegan offers a succinct, and accurate, judgment: Lucas' actions "achieved the worst of both worlds, exposing his forces to risk without imposing any on the enemy." It is even likely that General Lucas would have lost less men in the long run if he had attacked swiftly, taking the high ground before the Germans could fortify it and rain death down on the beachhead.
Leaders must care for the people they lead, particularly in the church. Yet the leader who forgets that he or she has a mission to accomplish because they are so busy taking care of individuals risks failing at both. This is a tremendous temptation, of course - but it is the point at which ministries can derail and churches can stagnate.
I learned this lesson best from listening to Paul Maconochie, former pastor of St. Thomas' Church in Sheffield, England. In the late 1990s, God was doing some amazing things through the ministry of this church in Sheffield. People were coming to faith, and significant gains were made for the kingdom of God in a highly unchurched city. Then God called the church in a new direction. Things were changing...and while most of the congregation was on board, not everyone was. Paul and the leadership team was faced with a choice: proceed with your mission, even thought it might mean leaving some people behind, or set the mission aside to keep everyone happy.
Paul and the church chose to move forward. Some folks did not choose to make that transition, and they eventually left that congregation. But the church continued to be a beacon for God in the industrial heart of England, reaching people with the Gospel who would never have darkened the doors of the church St. Thomas' had been. Paul's word of encouragement and challenge to the pastors and church leaders at the meeting I was at was this: if people are willing to travel with you (the church leadership) through a time of transition, even if it is at an incredibly slow pace, you have to wait for them and bring them along - but if they won't budge at all, then you have to let them go. You cannot let one person (or a few people) hold back the entire church from fulfilling the mission of God.
This was a hard word for me to hear, and it was for many of the other pastors there that day. We loved our people, even the stubborn ones who made us pull our hair out. We cared about them. We wanted them to come along, and we didn't want to see them get hurt. Yet Paul's word was one we needed to take to heart - because God calls each of us pastors to lead his people forward in his mission. God calls each church to fulfill his expectations: make disciples, bear witness to the Gospel, and build God's kingdom. If we're not doing these things, then we're kind of like that Army corps sitting on the beach in Anzio: we're going nowhere.
God doesn't need any General Lucas' filling the pulpits of his churches. He needs leaders who will care for their people - but fulfill the mission of the kingdom of God first. When we do that, we'll find that we are actually caring for our people better, giving them a purpose, helping them find the blessings that come from serving God, and finding support and encouragement along the way.
"Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Matthew 6:33, NIV
In Christ,
Adam
General Lucas was a veteran of the First World War and already had commanded his corps in combat for several months. Yet when chosen to command the Anzio landings, Lucas harbored doubts about the ability of his forces to prevail. Furthermore, and perhaps most debilitating, General Lucas had another handicap for a general: he hesitated to risk his men for the mission. He told his diary during the fighting before Anzio, "I think too often of my men out in the mountains. I am far too tender-hearted ever to be a success at my chosen profession." As he prepared for the invasion, he added, "I must keep from thinking of the fact that my order will send these men into a desperate attack." When his troops landed at Anzio, Lucas spent too much time consolidating the beachhead to protect his men from counterattacks...giving the Germans time to recover from the shock of the invasion and fortify the high ground overlooking the landing beaches. Lucas' corps would languish in the beachhead for months taking casualties, and Lucas himself would be relieved of combat command.
As journalist and historian Rick Atkinson notes, "Empathy might ennoble a man, but it could debilitate a general." Lucas had a mission to accomplish: land at Anzio, take the high ground, and open the road to Rome. Instead, in a spirit of caution and with the lives of his men on his mind, Lucas failed to lead his men forward. What resulted was a bloody stalemate; men died each day with nothing to show for their sacrifice. Lucas' empathy cost many of his troops their lives, and failed to accomplish his mission. Historian John Keegan offers a succinct, and accurate, judgment: Lucas' actions "achieved the worst of both worlds, exposing his forces to risk without imposing any on the enemy." It is even likely that General Lucas would have lost less men in the long run if he had attacked swiftly, taking the high ground before the Germans could fortify it and rain death down on the beachhead.
Leaders must care for the people they lead, particularly in the church. Yet the leader who forgets that he or she has a mission to accomplish because they are so busy taking care of individuals risks failing at both. This is a tremendous temptation, of course - but it is the point at which ministries can derail and churches can stagnate.
I learned this lesson best from listening to Paul Maconochie, former pastor of St. Thomas' Church in Sheffield, England. In the late 1990s, God was doing some amazing things through the ministry of this church in Sheffield. People were coming to faith, and significant gains were made for the kingdom of God in a highly unchurched city. Then God called the church in a new direction. Things were changing...and while most of the congregation was on board, not everyone was. Paul and the leadership team was faced with a choice: proceed with your mission, even thought it might mean leaving some people behind, or set the mission aside to keep everyone happy.
Paul and the church chose to move forward. Some folks did not choose to make that transition, and they eventually left that congregation. But the church continued to be a beacon for God in the industrial heart of England, reaching people with the Gospel who would never have darkened the doors of the church St. Thomas' had been. Paul's word of encouragement and challenge to the pastors and church leaders at the meeting I was at was this: if people are willing to travel with you (the church leadership) through a time of transition, even if it is at an incredibly slow pace, you have to wait for them and bring them along - but if they won't budge at all, then you have to let them go. You cannot let one person (or a few people) hold back the entire church from fulfilling the mission of God.
This was a hard word for me to hear, and it was for many of the other pastors there that day. We loved our people, even the stubborn ones who made us pull our hair out. We cared about them. We wanted them to come along, and we didn't want to see them get hurt. Yet Paul's word was one we needed to take to heart - because God calls each of us pastors to lead his people forward in his mission. God calls each church to fulfill his expectations: make disciples, bear witness to the Gospel, and build God's kingdom. If we're not doing these things, then we're kind of like that Army corps sitting on the beach in Anzio: we're going nowhere.
God doesn't need any General Lucas' filling the pulpits of his churches. He needs leaders who will care for their people - but fulfill the mission of the kingdom of God first. When we do that, we'll find that we are actually caring for our people better, giving them a purpose, helping them find the blessings that come from serving God, and finding support and encouragement along the way.
"Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Matthew 6:33, NIV
In Christ,
Adam
Comments
Post a Comment